THE COASTAL GARDENER:

The Night Before in the Garden

(With apologies to Clement Clarke Moore, who hopefully was a gardener.)

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the yard

Not a flower was blooming, they thought it was hard;

The tools were put away in the garage with care,

In belief that in winter no flowers would dare;

No bulbs were nestled all snug in there beds,

No visions of sweet peas – pinks, whites or reds;

And those in their homes, with their books in their lap,

Had assumed their garden was in a long winter’s nap,

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

They sprang from there homes to see what was the matter.

Away to the back door they flew like a flash,

Ran out in the yard in a frightful mad dash.

The moon and the rain on the soil did now glow

Giving the ground and the earth a fertile feeling below,

When, what to their wondering eyes should appear,

But a garden of flowers, even at this time of year,

Soon birds and butterflies, so lively and quick,

They new in a moment it must be gardener St. Nich.

More rapid than eagles, he and the flowers they came,

And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

“Now, Poppy! now, Pentas! now, Primrose and Pansy!

On, Crocus! on Calla! on, Daisy and Tansy!

To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!

Now bloom away! Bloom away! Bloom away all!”

So in to the garden with new knowledge they flew,

With seedlings and shrubs, and St. Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, lay a new garden path,

and for the kids to enjoy, a feeder and bird bath.

And, last but not least, some new citrus trees

Lemons and oranges and food for the bees.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his boots,

And his clothes were now tarnished with soil and roots,

A bundle more plants he had flung on his back,

Soon to more gardens, to share from his sack;

Then jolly old Saint Nich, having shared from his load,

jumped back in his truck and took to the road.

And they heard him exclaim just why he had come!

“Merry Christmas to all, and to all a green thumb!”

Happy holidays to all of you.

ASK RON

Question: I am hearing about different varieties of both navel oranges and Valencia oranges. Any suggestions?

Nary

Newport Beach

Answer: Both navel and Valencia oranges will grow and fruit well in Orange County, although Valencia’s are usually a better choice along the coast, and navels are better in warm, inland gardens. The ‘Cara Cara’ is now my favorite navel, being just a bit sweeter than the standard Washington navel. For a Valencia, if you can find a variety called ‘Midknight,’ it’s a good choice, being nearly seedless, very juicy and will bear a bit earlier than others.

ASK RON your toughest gardening questions, and the expert nursery staff at Roger’s Gardens will come up with an answer. Please include your name, phone number and city, and limit queries to 30 words or fewer. E-mail stumpthegardener @rogersgardens.com, or write to Plant Talk at Roger’s Gardens, 2301 San Joaquin Hills Road, Corona del Mar, CA 92625.

RON VANDERHOFF is the Nursery Manager at Roger’s Gardens in Corona del Mar.